I Believe in Miracles

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My guardian angel must feel a little sorry for me. He decided to throw me a few bones. I’m sure I have a guardian angel, who I suspect is a guy. I have no idea why I think it’s a he. I think he probably laughs at me a lot, and throws up his hands, and says, “I can’t believe what she’s doing now!” I imagine he shakes his head as if to say, “Oh, brother.”

In just the span of two days, I have been granted three miracles. That’s what they must be. I moved my dad this past weekend to a new location that is closer to me, from a downstairs apartment to an upstairs one. Oh, you can imagine how joyous that was for all movers involved, which consisted of me, my husband, my elderly father, and my two, wild children. Actually, my kids were more helpful than I thought they would be. In any case, a skeleton crew.

The lease signing, truck rental, all in turmoil with everything at the eleventh hour, required that we rent a U-Haul. If you remember, that didn’t go so well the last time. (Here’s my story here, if you’re interested.) Just know that I’ve spent the last decade or so giving U-Haul the middle finger. It so happens that this U-Haul was a good operation, the truck relatively new, and the customer service outstanding. This was my first miracle.

The last time I moved my father was about five months ago. At that time, my husband had a horrendous case of shingles and had been excused from helping. You won’t believe this one. Here we are moving again, and he’s having a recurring onset of shingles! Coincidence? What, I ask you, are the chances of this happening? I mean, you can’t make this shit up, Gracie. Needless to say, this made the move more difficult. His shingles were in the preliminary stages. Probably by the end of the week, a move of any kind would be impossible.

So, here we are at the tail end of the move, it’s almost dark, and we still had a good number of boxes, and all the heavy furniture, and all going upstairs. My back ached, my plantar fascia throbbing, dehydrated, short-tempered, exhausted, looking from the truck to the stairs, and back again, I took one look at that U-Haul truck and said, “I can’t.” I had hit mover’s rock bottom. Mental and physical fatigue merged together rendering me motionless.

It was at this moment, as if dropped from the sky, that a mother and her two teenage sons happened to be in the neighborhood and stood before me. “Can we help you?” she asked. Shock and disbelief pulsed through me, and then a resounding, “Yes! We need help.” It was beyond my wildest dreams; with their help we had the job done in a half hour. They didn’t want a pizza or cared if we even knew their names. Saints, that’s what they were, and my second miracle.

My third miracle happened the next evening. Driving away from my dad’s new apartment, my gas gauge starting working. Just like that. I turned my car on, and I noticed the little needle registering on the dial. I had three-quarters of a full tank of gas. Another miracle, really. I thought I was almost on empty. If you recall my recent troubles, you know that I have been driving the last two weeks with a faulty gas gauge, wondering if I had gas, believing that at any time I might be stranded. Having a non-working gas gauge only works if you can fill your tank every time you gas up. Otherwise, you can imagine how this might be easily miscalculated.

So, I ask myself. Should I even trust this gas gauge? How do I really know if it’s actually working? In light of recent, fortunate events, I’m going to accept that it is functioning properly.

It has occurred to me that while many of us would like to win the lottery and or have some big wish granted, it may be these small miracles that carry us through. They could be such little things, we wouldn’t even know to ask for them or that they would be just the thing we need. I marvel that there must be something more, a bigger design, held together by small deeds and the power of grace. I believe it is there if you stop to notice.

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76 Comments

Amy what’s even more beautiful is that you picked up on all these miracles! When hubby and I were moving some stuff OUT of storage, we didn’t want to keep nor had a place for the washer/dryer. A woman and her teens came by. I asked them if they needed a set – they did and we didn’t have to move or store them. Two “miracles” and all of us getting just what we needed at the time. It’s those little things that happen every day, the small miracles, if we recognize them and are open to them.

This was such a wonderful post and I hope there’s more miracles in store for you this week!

Thank you so much, Brigitte. I think if we’re open to them maybe they do happen. You had a nice stroke of luck with your washer/dryer, That was perfect and everyone was happy. It’s great when something works out as if it were just meant to be. That says “miracle” to me. Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I hope you have a few miracles of your own this week!

I do believe in those little miracles. Grace shows up at the most amazing and surprising times. And I think that when we recognize them and say a little “thank you,” they tend to show up more. Great post, Amy and I’m glad the miracles were there for you. You deserve them!
Cathy

Thank you, Cathy. I think sometimes when you don’t expect it, a little miracle can surprise you. I think you’re right that maybe it’s a matter of recognizing them. When you start to do that, maybe you can make a few miracles happen. That’s a nice thought, Cathy. Thanks for that. I hope you can have miracles of your own.

You know, haha, Shingles is a really easy thing to replicate with a pink highlighter. Sounds a bit shady to me, but I’m naturally skeptical, and also have a lot of experience dodging shit that I don’t feel like doing.

Believe it or not, it comes from Chicken Pox. The virus stays in your body and is dormant for years. People don’t usually get it until they are later in their years. For some reason, my husband in his forties, got it early. If you had Chicken Pox, you could have Shingles later in life, although there is a vaccine. It’s extraordinarily painful! I hope I never have it.

I actually believe in miracles. But more importantly, I believe in people who believe in miracles. Whether these events are actually miraculous or not is really beside the point. By seeing them as miracles, they ARE miracles to you, and that’s where they’re important. Just as a person with a bad attitude can find a million things wrong with his day, a person who’s looking for miracles WILL find them. Consciously or unconsciously, people find what they’re looking for.

I love what you say here, Smaktakula. I think you’re absolutely right. It is a matter of outlook and what you believe in seeing. For someone with a dire situation, a good deed can go a long way. It makes me realize I need to reach out to people as well. I guess we can all make miracles happen, if we try.

Thanks, David. Shingles were already there. But yes, stress brings them on, and moving like this didn’t help matters one bit. I really the gas gauge was a miracle, like a little reward for me. Let’s hope it sticks.

Thanks, Marie. I think there is something to what you say, recognizing when good things happen and being open to them when they do. I really do think I have someone looking over me. I’ve been lucky far too many times!

The best miracle ever was when God granted me that perfect parking space just before the football game where my team also won (thanks God) and my slurpee was mixed just right (God be praised)! Kidding!!! I totally get what you mean. Like this morning, my daughter said it was pajama day if she brought a dollar to school for PTA. And I said TOTALLY WORTH IT because I didn’t have to make her get dressed. MIracles are everywhere!

Ha ha ha, Alice. I think Alice is making fun of me!! Alice, it’s the little things in life, like pajama day, am I right? You’ve been consulting with the Hatter. Most likely Squirrel! Yes, yes…miracles are everywhere! Is that my point? Do I have a point? But, when these things happen they feel like miracles, and they come in the nick of time.

As many scrapes as I’ve managed to survive, I sometimes think I have a team of angels or maybe a power-duo, who, like in wrestling, tag each other to swap out when they’re like, “I’ve had enough! You take care of this crazy woman for a while!” Haha.

It’s nice to hear about good things happening for good people. 🙂 Hope you’ve been doing well! ~ Christy

Thanks, Christy. That’s a funny thought about your team tagging angels. You never know. That makes sense to me. I wanted to read your latest post, but haven’t had a chance. I will be over there. I know you’re going through some difficult things. I hope you are okay. I hope your power-duo is watching over you.

I’m doing well, Amy, thanks! I totally understand–time has been short for me too lately. In a nutshell, my dog is just going through a health scare–she goes in for a test tomorrow, so I should know more soon and will let everyone know. I hope my angels are looking out and resting up too! I may need them 🙂

That is pretty awesome! 🙂
Just promise me you’ll be careful about the gas gauge, Amy…
I don’t want to have to worry about you running out of gas in the middle of an intersection, too!
P.S. Hasn’t happened yet… but the ‘wait until the light comes on’ system my wife uses…
*sigh*

Thanks, Robert! So far, so good with the gas gauge. Although the car seems more rickety lately. I want a new car! That would be a miracle too. I haven’t seen whether or not the light comes on yet…at least that is still working for your wife, right? 🙂

The U-Haul would definitely be certified as a miracle by the church. The lovely lady and her teenage sons, while a miracle in my mind, seems like an over the top “Pass it Forward” event and the gas gauge…probably started working after hitting a bump on the road and won’t be called a miracle unless it was a Ford. But how wonderful for you to have these nice things happen!
“Miracles happen everyday, change your perception of what a miracle is and you’ll see them all around you” – Jon Bon Jovi

Thank you, He Who! It’s nice to meet you. I agree it can be a matter of perception, as Bon Jovi says, but at the time they feel like true miracles. The lovely lady and her sons simply saved the day. I didn’t even see them coming, and then, poof, they were there. Like magic, He Who. The gas gauge I can’t explain. All I know is that was becoming more worrisome, as I was running out of money to put gas in my car! Oh brother! It all worked out in the end.

It’s nice to meet you too. I can’t believe your good fortune with the lady and her sons helping out. That is truly a miracle, one we all wish would happen more often than not.You were blessed that day.

I am just picturing your guardian angel and my guardian angel sitting at a bar trading stories. Laughing their butts off at us. Of course they then feel guilty and throw us one of these little miracles that make things worth while for us. I survive on these little miracles.

Ah, that’s a funny thought. A bar for the guardian angels slacking off on the job…Yes, sometimes it takes a small miracle to get through, doensn’t it? Thanks, Michelle. I hope our angels have a good time together!

What an amazing account of not just one but THREE miracles. I do believe there is a special grace over your life, Amy. Especially during that difficult move. Like you said, we need to find the blessings in the small things. Nowadays, I’m thankful if someone holds the door open for me as I enter the store.

Amy,
I’m catching up on back posts and I’m glad I didn’t miss this one. Glad things worked in your favor, moving’s never fun. I think my kids move at least three times a year and have more stuff each time they do. Great uplifting story, thanks!
Red

Red, I know it’s so hard to keep up, isn’t it? I appreciate you coming back and I’m glad it was worth your while. Moving is always a chore. We thought this one would be easy and it wasn’t!! I think if you move to a bigger place, of course you eventually fill it up and have yet more to move the next time. Thanks for reading!
Amy